What
Craftsmanship+ aims to promote new and creative businesses in traditional crafts and semi-industrial business areas anchored on high added-value production techniques, by offering an innovative learning solution for the younger adults entering the labour market and for the existing craftsman.
Craftsmanship+ proposes a new approach to the teaching of Crafts and Semi-Industrial activities with a specific focus on business, integrating production, entrepreneurship and innovation as support contents for an ICT based training course. By doing so, the project proposes to contribute to the economical and social development by supporting the growth of Crafts and Semi-Industrial activities in Europe and by addressing specific political priorities under Europe 2020 strategy, namely by creating favourable conditions for young adults to create their own employment but also by equipping adult workers with the skills and competences in entrepreneurship and innovation that enable them to keep being active members of society.
Craftsmanship+ proposes a new approach to the teaching of Crafts and Semi-Industrial activities with a specific focus on business, integrating production, entrepreneurship and innovation as support contents for an ICT based training course. By doing so, the project proposes to contribute to the economical and social development by supporting the growth of Crafts and Semi-Industrial activities in Europe and by addressing specific political priorities under Europe 2020 strategy, namely by creating favourable conditions for young adults to create their own employment but also by equipping adult workers with the skills and competences in entrepreneurship and innovation that enable them to keep being active members of society.
Why
With the rise of Creative Industries in recent years, many places in Europe have seen the rebirth of high added-value crafts and semi-industrial activities. Generally lead by young entrepreneurs or already established businesses and ‘makers’ inspired by ‘new blood’, these new or renewed businesses tend to establish themselves in old (many times abandoned) industrial areas in the city centres or in their outskirts, and create an undeniable impact, contributing to:
Economic value creation
Job creation, in particular youth employment
Urban, social and economic revitalization of degraded city areas
One good example is Detroit, in the USA. This city that suffered from a bad economy and with the loss of inhabitants for decades is turning around on the account of the rebirth of the manufacturing sector, where the semi-industrial sector is highly representative. According to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 12,300 manufacturers – including semi-industrial activities - employed more than 550,000 people in April 2013, an increase of 4.1 percent from 2012; now the manufacture sector is a fundamental driver for urban and social rehabilitation.
In the EU, we can observe a similar trend. In the UK, for example, the Department for Business Innovation & Skills from the UK Government Office for Science published in 2013 a report entitled “Future of manufacturing: a new era of opportunity and challenge for the UK”. The report concludes that "the importance of manufacturing to the UK economy, as set out here, is incontrovertible. Manufacturing is no longer just about production, it is a much wider set of activities that create value for the UK and benefits for wider society. Manufacturing includes significant innovation. It creates jobs that are both highly skilled and well paid. It also contributes to the rebalancing of the economy, with its strong role on exports and import substitutions.”
Economic value creation
Job creation, in particular youth employment
Urban, social and economic revitalization of degraded city areas
One good example is Detroit, in the USA. This city that suffered from a bad economy and with the loss of inhabitants for decades is turning around on the account of the rebirth of the manufacturing sector, where the semi-industrial sector is highly representative. According to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 12,300 manufacturers – including semi-industrial activities - employed more than 550,000 people in April 2013, an increase of 4.1 percent from 2012; now the manufacture sector is a fundamental driver for urban and social rehabilitation.
In the EU, we can observe a similar trend. In the UK, for example, the Department for Business Innovation & Skills from the UK Government Office for Science published in 2013 a report entitled “Future of manufacturing: a new era of opportunity and challenge for the UK”. The report concludes that "the importance of manufacturing to the UK economy, as set out here, is incontrovertible. Manufacturing is no longer just about production, it is a much wider set of activities that create value for the UK and benefits for wider society. Manufacturing includes significant innovation. It creates jobs that are both highly skilled and well paid. It also contributes to the rebalancing of the economy, with its strong role on exports and import substitutions.”
CHALLENGES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH ADDED-VALUE CRAFTS AND SEMI-INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES
Despite the renewed interest in the crafts and semi-industrial activities, still much can be done in Europe to foster businesses inspired by a new approach to these high added-value sectors. The growth of a high added-value crafts and semi-industrial sector faces in particular 3 challenges:
Most of the crafts and semi-industrial businesses that subsisted throughout the years still lack the vision, the entrepreneurial attitude and the innovation factor (Klamer, 2012) that can make them grow and cause impact. Instead, they live of increasingly tinier niches doing the same they have done for the past decades.
The number of years these crafts and semi-industrial activities were devoted to oblivion left a toll and currently Europe is debating with the lack of craftsmen or ‘makers’ to pass-on their knowledge and technical skills that would enable new businesses to be created.
The apprenticeship system in which the crafts and semi-industrial activities relied on to keep going presents short-comes, not only because the ‘makers’ that can pass on the knowledge and technical skills are in short supply, but also because this training system is too demanding in terms of time and cost of opportunity to business owners in such a dynamic economic environment.
Despite the renewed interest in the crafts and semi-industrial activities, still much can be done in Europe to foster businesses inspired by a new approach to these high added-value sectors. The growth of a high added-value crafts and semi-industrial sector faces in particular 3 challenges:
Most of the crafts and semi-industrial businesses that subsisted throughout the years still lack the vision, the entrepreneurial attitude and the innovation factor (Klamer, 2012) that can make them grow and cause impact. Instead, they live of increasingly tinier niches doing the same they have done for the past decades.
The number of years these crafts and semi-industrial activities were devoted to oblivion left a toll and currently Europe is debating with the lack of craftsmen or ‘makers’ to pass-on their knowledge and technical skills that would enable new businesses to be created.
The apprenticeship system in which the crafts and semi-industrial activities relied on to keep going presents short-comes, not only because the ‘makers’ that can pass on the knowledge and technical skills are in short supply, but also because this training system is too demanding in terms of time and cost of opportunity to business owners in such a dynamic economic environment.
How
The project foresees a wide set of activities, from research to the development of a training programme, open to the participation of craftsman and private and public organisations with interest for the topic.
Who
Craftsmanship+ is promoted by a set of 6 European organisations from 5 different countries and it has the support of the Erasmus+ programme.